Parmesan Chicken Salad

If you are from the South, and you love you some "sweet" chicken salad, then you might be a little skeptical of this recipe. However, I assure you there is such thing as good "unsweet" chicken salad, you just haven't met it yet...until today! This recipe is from a Southern Living Comfort Food Magazine. Here is what you will need to make it:

Chicken (we like to use rotisserie chicken), celery, green onion, shaved parmesan, mayo, spicy brown mustard, pecans, garlic, salt, and pepper. Start out by chopping the pecans. Then, toast them in the oven until fragrant and lightly browned. Set them aside and let them cool. Next, peel the chicken from the bone, slice into bite-sized pieces, and place in a medium bowl. Then, dice the green onions and celery (our celery was no longer fresh, so we did not use it), and throw all of the above ingredients in the bowl including the parmesan.

Now it's time to prepare the dressing. This is such an unusual chicken salad dressing to me, but it is so delicious! Measure out the mayo, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper and place all of them in a mixing bowl.

Stir it all together, making sure to evenly distribute all of the ingredients.

Pour the dressing in the bowl with the chicken and the all the other ingredients.

Toss all of the ingredients together until everything is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve over lettuce, on a sandwich, with crackers, or just by itself.

 You might have to double the recipe...it is just too good to eat only a little bit.


Parmesan-Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or parmesan shavings)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped green onion
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 garlic clove, pressed (or 1 tsp. minced garlic)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop pecans. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned. Set aside.

2. Peel the chicken off the bone and chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl.

3. Chop the green onions and celery, and place in the bowl with the chicken, pecans, and parmesan.

4. Mix the mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic in a seperate bowl. Pour over the chicken and other ingredients and mix until evenly covered. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.